Depending on which narrative you choose, Pep Guardiola will either receive a lesson or a battle when he takes his Manchester City side to Hull.

The coach has polarised opinion since arriving on these shores but change has been expected from both camps; one set can't wait for one of the gamechangers in world football to make his mark in England while the other are looking for this league and country to best him, preserving everything that is good about the myth of 'English football'.

Guardiola has humbly insisted that he is here to learn about the different challenges rather than to bend everyone and everything to his way (but then that's how these things start isn't it?!) and the festive fixtures join Stoke away and tackles in the lottery of potential pitfalls for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager.

It has certainly not all gone City's way this season despite their impeccable start and it is now Chelsea leading the way in the Premier League, seven points ahead going into this game and with a kinder Christmas fixture list than many of their rivals.

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But one thing that the coach's critics cannot deny is the work that he is putting into understanding the teams he is now competing against.

Kevin De Bruyne mused this week about how the commander-in-chief (to borrow from Guardiola's Netflix collection) spends so much time studying different opposition, only to find them rip everything up and hoof long balls in the direction of Claudio Bravo when they face the Blues.

Few would have put David Silva as the authority on all things Boxing Day and Hull, but the fact he was turned to indicates how willing Guardiola is to soak up any information he can. Mikel Arteta and Brian Kidd are two of the army of backroom staff that can help paint the picture of the unique challenges of the Christmas period.

These fixtures are not completely alien to the manager; past Boxing Days have been spent in London taking in games while his previous squads have had their feet up enjoying their winter break.

Playing more than once a week is something City have been used to for the majority of the season and it is perhaps with that in mind that Guardiola has opted to treat the festive matches like any other run of games in the calendar.

Indeed, the premise of winning football matches is the same at this time of year as it is in every game going and that is something the coach has proven pretty handy at in his career to date.

Business as usual in Guardiola's latest plunge into the unknown - and three points will make the experience even more familiar for the boss.